yes, i do think that the sense of feeling at home does relate to belonging and also to the inimate relationships with places and people in a certain geographical location. The reason i am raising this issue and why the sense of ‘dislocation’ may not be that visible to someone who hasnt moved around, abroad or elsewhere is related to the following dimesions, that i see in my personal experience and in that of some of my research participants:

1. when you move abroad and make yourself a foreigner, things in your life become ‘temporary’, especialy when you are not sure about where you will settle.for example, all these years i am in the UK, i always avoided to buy domestic things (furniture, or even smaller things) cause i lived in rented furnished accomodation and had to always be ready to move….so, i could never really make my ‘nest’ of make my home, even the ‘physical one’ too cosy….not to mention that you usually end up living in ONE single room in a shared house where everything is kept minimal….i so much want to have the chance to have my OWN HOME, with my OWN furniture etc….but cant do that if i dont settle in one place, if you see what i mean. I do make ‘home’ now with little things that comfort me but all is minimal size and potentially ready to be packed or trasnported

2. the above sitiation affects the making of intimate relationships too. I have stories, and many of my friends too that are immigrants, of being heart broken cause of love affairs that had to be lost due to mobility…….not to mention the occasion when i fell in love with a man whose culture would never be accepted by my own culture due to many compex reasons….also, i am personally at an age where i want to create my own family, my own nest and this hasnt happened, maybe for many reasons, but at least one of them is due to my non-settling in one place and this has afftected relationships too

3. it is interesting that when i interviewed some colleagues who returned to work in Greece after living abroad, those who had a partner to take back with them (especially a non-Greek one) found it easier to adapt that those that moved abroad or returned back alone….this says something! Those that returned with a partner who is a foreigner in their original culture felt more comfortable around the feeling of feeling like strangers in their own land, cause they brought some of the host culture they left behind with them, in the face of their partner, if you see what i mean. another thing has to do with values and what is acceptable in one’s country: for example, the fact that i am 32, female and single in the UK, is not such a big deal socially speaking. However, when i come to Greece i feel stigmatised and that is one factor that makes me feel not welcomed, and ‘not at home’ in my country

4. the professional marginaslisation is another factor that makes one feel out of home in a given culture. for example, being a qualified counsellor at PhD level in the UK makes me very respectable, highly employable and a person with status and numerous opportunities. In contrast, when in Greece, i automaticaly lose that recognition cause of the fact that counselling is not acknowledged, itis even misinterpreted as a profession (is not seen as a profession by many even) and i do not have work opportunities

so, do u see some of the factors that may make somebody feel mis-placed or out-of-home (things that are for others are taken for granted)? Therefore, all this process has led me attempt to find home inside, rescue my own worth and confidence regardless of external factors and systems or the circumstance of my emotional needs in my personal life………..and believe me, all this is damn hard!

will leave it there for now, thanks for posting ur comments!

What is this “home feeling” really? What are the characteristics of a person able to “make home anywhere”? I see myself as a person that can ” make home anywhere”. Is it the ability to appreciate and cherish the beauties of a place, of a land? Or perphaps the ability to create bonds and links with people and places that give you a sense of belonging. I beleive that the home-feeling is closely related to the feeling of belonging.

In Greek language home is called oikos. Oikos- Home in Greek have the same root with Intimacy-Oikeiotita.
Maybe people capable of creating intimate relations with persons and places are these people capable of enjoying the home feeling averywhere …
Greetings
Anny